North Holland Canal

The North Holland Canal runs from Amsterdam-North, via Purmerend and Alkmaar to Den Helder. The North Holland Canal was dug in the early 19th century on the orders of King William I. In the 17th century, the navigability of the Zuiderzee for sea shipping to Amsterdam decreased. In particular, the shallow area near Pampus that blocked the passage to the IJ for large ships caused significant delays. When transshipping goods to smaller ships became too time-consuming and expensive, people started using ship camels. Amsterdam also struggled with the silting up of the harbor. However, they were still hesitant to dig a direct connection to the North Sea. Such a plan would involve damming the IJ at the Zuiderzee, but they were not yet technically capable of building a large lock complex. King William I wanted to solve this. During his reign, from 1814 to 1840, many transportation connections were established, of which the North Holland Canal is the most important. In 1818, the king commissioned hydraulic engineer Jan Blanken Janz to develop a plan. By Royal Decree of April 15, 1819, the construction of the North Holland Canal became a fact.

Dromos